No Margin for Error

Suzanne Kim’s post below on the economic and social pressures for “smile surgery” reminds me of Jonathan Crary’s excellent book, 24/7: Late Capitalism and the Ends of Sleep. Reviewing developments ranging from military use of modafinil to the rise of energy drinks, Crary concludes that “Time for human rest and regeneration is now simply too expensive to be structurally possible within contemporary capitalism.” Might the same be said for unsmiling faces in hypercompetitive service industries?

The men at the top of the heap worked in finance, drove luxury cars and advertised lavish weekend getaways on Instagram, many students observed in interviews. Some belonged to the so-called Section X, an on-again-off-again secret society of ultrawealthy, mostly male, mostly international students known for decadent parties and travel. Women were more likely to be sized up on how they looked. . . .

As a a recent discussion on the problem of “Second Generation” gender bias showed, emphasis on appearance may be a key “unseen barrier” to equity.

Image Credit: book by Robin Leidner on the commodification of affect.

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Frank Pasquale

Frank is Professor of Law at the University of Maryland. His research agenda focuses on challenges posed to information law by rapidly changing technology, particularly in the health care, internet, and finance industries.

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